Cover Interview: Walt Disco
On the cover of LICKS Mag,
Issue #4.
Interview: Olivia Stock
Photos: Hannah J Driscoll
Styled by: Toby Corton
Design by: Meghan Weale
Breaking out of the binds of genre, and gender, progressive performance pop outfit Walt Disco are fun, flamboyant, and before everything just ‘six best pals having the pretty damn best time’. Olivia Stock caught up with the ever effervescent James Potter on the evolution of the band’s style and sound, their 80s inspo, and the process behind curating queer indie-pop bangers for the ages.
There’s a real theatricality and sense of drama to Walt Disco’s music and shows, what inspired this unique performative approach?
“We take a lot of inspiration from actual dramas and musicals, as well as artists who embrace a lot of theatricality. I’m obsessed with performers from the golden era – Grace Jones, Doris Day – the way they delivered songs is just so mesmerising. And, from music performances in films too, because they have that need to get as much emotion out of the listener as possible. Whether we’re on stage, or in a tiny wee bedroom studio, we want to create a moment.
“We have a track called ‘Macilent’, and we’ve started doing this unhinged wave move every time we play it live. Half the audience started doing it with us when we supported Duran Duran. Something like four-thousand people joined in, and it was just absolutely mental. Simon Le Bon actually watched our set from the side of the stage. I gave him a hug at the end of the gig, forgetting that Covid was still a thing. I remember panicking and thinking, ‘I might have killed Simon Le Bon’. Luckily, I apologised and he didn’t seem to mind, but the whole set was an absolute whirlwind. One of those moments where I felt Walt Disco were onto something really special.”
You’ve been referenced as part of the ‘Glasgow new school’; a city with such a rich musical history, does that offer pressure, inspiration or both?
“Oh, definitely inspiration. We’re so influenced by Scottish bands from both decades ago and now. Young Fathers are one of our favourite modern artists, and then there are bands like Simple Minds, The Blue Nile, The Associates, that are just completely timeless, or out of Glasgow, there’s Cocteau Twins. It feels so nice to be a part of the heritage of Scottish bands.
“It doesn’t help that I have such an English accent though. My parents are English, and I moved to Scotland when I was six, so I never really picked it up. But I feel Scottish! And, as much as everyone likes touring in England, it hasn’t made me feel any more English. If anything, the opposite. I guess the middle ground is just Great Britain, but that might be even worse.”
Described as having “one foot in the 80s, and the other in modern indie-pop,” what inspired this combo?
“I guess we’ve always been drawn to the flamboyance and glamour of the 80s. It just sort of does things to me that no other era of music does. When someone who was very much alive in the 80s and went to see all these bands comes up to us at the end of the gig and says that they enjoyed the set, that’s the best compliment. It’s pretty cool that people can hear those elements in our sound and tie us to an era we all love.
“But, for the most part, I’d say we don’t belong to a specific genre. And that’s the kind of way we all like to identify as a band. A sort of genre-bending pop extravaganza with all of our various different influences thrown in for good measure.”
Your single ‘Weightless’ is gender euphoria marvellously personified. Is it difficult to candidly write about your personal struggles?
“I don’t find the writing part difficult, but sometimes it’s tricky coming to terms with them being out in the world, or speaking about things openly in interviews. But, the writing of it was so cathartic and therapeutic, it often helps me have the conversations that I need to have with myself. Interestingly, we’ve been opening with ‘Weightless’ at recent shows, but last night we tried moving it back so I had time to speak about it before and it definitely went down better. It felt more like a moment.
“I think a lot of our followers and friends, as well as us, feel like ‘Weightless’ is definitely the strongest work we’ve put out so far both in terms of the song itself, and the fact we produced it ourselves, which we’re stupidly proud of. But, also, in how it translates on stage, and in the video. It definitely feels like a statement of intent. I’m sure you can tell, but the video was heavily inspired by ‘The Lord of the Rings’. I got proper into it and was directing everybody about during the dance bits. If you look closely, you can probably see my mouth moving. I thought I was Peter bloody Jackson!”
Can you tell us more about how the new music all came together?
“So ages before anything became Weightless, I’d made a wee electronic demo that lived in our Google Drive for years. Then, during lockdown, our manager reached out and asked us to have a rifle through all of our unfinished songs to see what had potential. We all really liked this one titled ‘1-19-C’ because of the electronic rhythms, but it had no guitars or even much of a structure, so we went back in, jiggled it all about, and gave it some vocals.
“We played it to everyone like that but one of our mates said we ‘didn’t sound much like a band’ without guitars, so Dave and I just went upstairs to our bedroom and recorded some heavy-as-fuck, almost American-metal style riffs, and it all just slotted into place. It wasn’t planned at all.
“I still like listening to it now which says a lot I think. I find it quite hard to listen to a lot of the songs we’ve released because I’m just pulling them apart and thinking about all the things I’d change. But with ‘Weightless’, I think we just got it right. Pats on the back all round. Weirdly, I think a lot of that was a credit to lockdown, and the kind of chaotic way we had to work. It forced us to reach back into a lot of our old material because we couldn’t record many new instruments, so we were working with these huge electronic mood boards instead and building up the layers from there.”
So a much different creative process from your earlier ‘Young, Hard & Handsome’?
“‘Young, Hard & Handsome’ was more of a collection of songs that we wrote at different times, played live a bit, and then decided to fit quite nicely on an EP together. It was a lot more systematic. We recorded live drums first, and then everything else after, kind of like we used to record, so it actually was pretty fun this past year being forced to make music in a new way. We still wanted to be creative during that time, so we just needed to find out what worked. And honestly, it worked out pretty well. It’s been super fun on this tour playing the new material and seeing how it works with the older stuff. I think you can really trace the different eras of Walt Disco.”
Walt Disco’s style has really evolved alongside its sound. How has your relationship between fashion and music developed?
“Something like wearing a dress, it’s not going to change the world but maybe it’s going to change one person’s opinion, you know? We try to express ourselves through fashion just like we do with music and show people something about us through the way we dress. Dressing rooms used to be a place to just chill out and drink tinnies, which we still do don’t get me wrong, but now we all get ready together and borrow each other’s make-up.
“I actually did an outfit change in Edinburgh the other night which was really fun. A lot of my favourite artists have always pushed the boundaries of the live show – St. Vincent, David Bowie, Grimes – so I think it’s really important for us to keep evolving and exploring what it means to ‘perform’.”
What does making ‘pop music’ mean to you in the modern-day?
“I think what’s amazing about pop music is that scope to be creative within. You’re confined to a relatively short space of time so it forces you to really think about exactly what you want to say and how you want to say it. At the minute I’m obsessed with just piling hooks on top of each other, not just necessarily in a chorus. You can get really experimental with what the sound is doing. I also think pop music reaches the largest audience, especially important if you have something you want to say – which we always do!”
I find myself coming back to fan favourite ‘Cut Your Hair’, what’s the story behind the song?
“‘Cut Your Hair’ was written as a wee fun jibe at people who make comments when they walk past you in the street. It’s like, ‘well, how much fun are you having?’ I lived in a village when I was younger and I remember the funny looks, then I moved to Glasgow and it might have got even worse. Luckily it doesn’t bother me half as much as it used to. You can’t escape these kinds of people so you just have to keep on walking. Keep on growing out your hair. You know you’re having a better time than they are!
Finally, if 2020 was the year for working out the band you wanted to be, and 2021 evolving the live show, what on earth does 2022 look like?
“We’re going to be touring several countries, and the new music will be flowing! That’s all I can say for now. But hopefully just world domination. Playing stadiums, stuff like that. Or just venues where there’s enough room for outfit changes! Playing Barrowland Ballroom would be a dream, but that’s a boring answer for a Glasgow band. I know we’ve got a date for Scala in London next year which is super exciting though. I think that’s the 20th of April. Cheeky plug. See you there!”
Walt Disco’s new single ‘Macilent’ is out now and you can see them play it live on their European tour this spring.
Print spread on pages 42-51 of LICKS Mag Issue #4.
